When a century-old luxury brand initiates a "non-disruptive" revolution
At the end of April, the first Class A auto exhibition in the global automotive industry in 2025 - the Shanghai Auto Show - officially opened at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Facing the industry trend of gradually moving away from price wars, this exhibition, which brings together thousands of brands and focuses on the return to core values, has become a watershed for a new round of industrial upgrading and brand reshaping.
In the past few years, the Chinese auto market has been deeply mired in the quagmire of price competition, and almost the entire industry has been pushed to the edge of a cliff by "price - cut competition". However, after the regulatory authorities frequently advocated "anti - involution", the market's attention began to return to a more fundamental issue - apart from price, what is the real core value of automotive products? Safety, reliability, stability, and intelligence have once again become the focus of the industry.
At this critical time window, FAW - Audi chose to answer with actions. At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, FAW - Audi unveiled five blockbuster models, leading the counter - attack of luxury brands. Adhering to the strategy of "simultaneous development of fuel and electric vehicles" and opening the era of "equal intelligence for fuel and electric vehicles", this is not only a self - redemption of luxury brands at the technical level, but also a profound exploration and solution to the "essence" of luxury, and it also reinterprets the survival philosophy of luxury brands.
Simultaneous development of fuel and electric vehicles, equal intelligence for fuel and electric vehicles, firmly responding to uncertainties with diversification
In the past decade, "disruption" has become the most frequently used word in the automotive industry. New - force automakers have tried to deconstruct the traditional vehicle - manufacturing logic with Internet thinking, and have alienated the cruising range, computing power parameters, and the number of screens into benchmarks for measuring luxury. However, "disruption" should not be a reason to deny experience.
Just as real luxury needs time to precipitate, time should not be an excuse to refuse evolution. In this uncertain year of 2025, FAW - Audi is coming with five blockbuster models, including the FAW - Audi A5L, the all - new Audi Q5L, the Audi A6L e - tron, and the Audi Q6L e - tron/Q6L Sportback e - tron, which are built on the PPE luxury pure - electric platform and the PPC luxury fuel platform.
As a legendary brand with 116 years of vehicle - manufacturing experience, Audi has always maintained comprehensive and profound technological accumulation and is always ready for technological innovation. Facing the ever - changing market environment, FAW - Audi responds to uncertainties with diversification, firmly leading in both the "fuel" and "electric" fronts, grasping both fuel and electric vehicles, not giving up any market, and not abandoning any user group.
In recent years, as the new - energy penetration rate in the market has exceeded the 50% mark, the substitution rate of pure - electric vehicles for the original fuel market has also quietly slowed down, and various types of hybrid, plug - in hybrid, and range - extended vehicles have become new growth points. The "fuel - electric" pattern has undergone subtle changes. It is no longer a simple substitution relationship of binary opposition, but highlights the diversified and segmented needs of consumers.
FAW - Audi's insistence on the "simultaneous development of fuel and electric vehicles" is based on the industry - leading "PPC luxury fuel platform + PPE luxury pure - electric platform architecture", which is backed by Audi's 116 - year solid foundation and comprehensive technological reserves. Based on the PPE luxury pure - electric platform jointly developed with Porsche, pure - electric models such as the Audi Q6L e - tron and the Audi A6L e - tron are ready to go; on the other hand, the PPC luxury fuel platform, which deeply integrates the latest intelligent and electrified achievements, enables fuel models to be intelligent as well.
The FAW - Audi A5L, the all - new Audi Q5L, etc. are equipped with the latest generation of EA888 Evo5 engine, which is equipped with the latest technologies such as the full - operating - condition Miller cycle and the 500Bar high - pressure fuel injection system. The VTG variable - geometry turbocharger, the same as that of Porsche, uses turbine guide vanes with variable opening and closing angles, enabling fuel vehicles to still have the feeling of electric drive in low - speed urban conditions while maintaining the traditional advantage of high - speed power release. It takes into account the work efficiency and power response under both high - and low - speed conditions. This technical expression that juxtaposes "mechanical logic" and "intelligent philosophy" can be regarded as the essence of the century - long development of the internal combustion engine industry.
Although it is a fuel vehicle, the new car also introduces Audi's MHEV plus hybrid system, which uses the achievements of electrification technology to empower fuel power. Different from the general 48V mild hybrid, the MHEV plus hybrid system includes a P0 + P3 dual - motor and is paired with a 1.7kWh lithium - iron phosphate battery, which can provide an additional torque of 230N·m for a short time. It not only reduces fuel consumption in congested traffic and improves performance but also supports short - distance and low - speed pure - electric driving. While ensuring the German - style driving genes, it precisely meets the users' dual needs for economy and quality, making the driving experience of fuel vehicles smoother and more perfect.
What really transforms Audi's new - generation fuel models is that the PPC luxury fuel platform also shares the E³ 1.2 electronic and electrical architecture with the PPE luxury pure - electric platform and is upgraded to a domain - controller design. With the latest electronic and electrical architecture and powerful hardware computing power, it can achieve map - less L2 - level driving assistance and support the intelligent cockpit experience of the multi - screen "digital stage", thoroughly implementing the concept of "equal intelligence for fuel and electric vehicles".
This change enables fuel - vehicle users to obtain an intelligent cockpit at the same level as that of electric - vehicle users, and new - energy users can also enjoy Audi's century - long accumulation in mechanical quality. This two - way empowerment is exactly the fulcrum that FAW - Audi has found on the "balance beam" of intelligence and driving quality.
From "hardcore mechanics" to "intelligent ecosystem", FAW - Audi reshapes the anchor point of luxury value
Cooperation leads to win - win results. After 37 years of sincere cooperation between FAW and Audi AG, FAW - Audi has become the leader in the Chinese luxury - car market. Facing the major changes in the automotive industry in the past century, FAW - Audi further opens up cooperation, absorbs China's superior intelligent technologies, and deeply integrates German - style quality with Chinese intelligence, drawing on the strengths of both sides.
Particularly important in intelligent driving technology, FAW - Audi adheres to its consistent open attitude and joins hands with Huawei to fully embrace the intelligent wave and empower the intelligence of FAW - Audi's new - generation models. The models of the FAW - Audi PPC luxury fuel platform and the PPE luxury pure - electric platform that will be unveiled at the auto show will all be equipped with Huawei's Qiankun technology, with equal intelligence regardless of fuel or electric vehicles.
This cooperation breaks the stereotype of the "generation gap" in intelligence between fuel and electric vehicles. From then on, fuel - vehicle owners no longer need to sacrifice the intelligent experience for mechanical performance, and electric - vehicle users do not have to compromise on driving pleasure for the sake of a sense of technology. When Audi's German - style chassis tuning is deeply integrated with Huawei's algorithm advantages, users will get an "all - around partner" that understands the driver's control intentions and can intelligently predict road conditions.
This approach of breaking technological barriers and sharing core intelligence not only enhances the brand loyalty of fuel - vehicle customers but also raises the value threshold of luxury brands for "adaptability in the intelligent era" again.
Actually, "technology" has always been the gene and label of the Audi brand. From the legendary quattro four - wheel drive that shocked the world back then to the well - known reputation of the "lighting factory" later, Audi's achievements in the field of automotive "hard technology" are obvious to all. As automotive technology expands to the fields of "soft technology" such as intelligent ecosystems and software algorithms, FAW - Audi is reshaping the competitiveness of luxury cars with "hard technology as the foundation and soft technology as the wings".
The new E³ 1.2 electronic and electrical architecture has more powerful computing power and faster data transmission speed, laying the foundation for more advanced combined driving assistance and intelligent cockpit experience. It can also support dual lidars to achieve map - less NOA combined driving assistance without relying on high - precision maps, and the cockpit supports a "digital stage" composed of three screens + a head - up display. Whether it is the PPE luxury pure - electric platform or the PPC luxury fuel platform, they can all enjoy these intelligent innovations.
Being inclusive and drawing on the strengths of all parties has always been the foundation of FAW - Audi's success. It is by giving full play to the respective advantages and wisdom of the Chinese and German shareholders that FAW - Audi was the first to introduce high - end luxury cars for production in China and the first to lengthen the body size, thus achieving its current leading position in the Chinese luxury - car market.
"German quality manufacturing + Chinese intelligent manufacturing", a new chapter in high - quality joint ventures
Chinese joint - venture automakers are moving into a new era, exploring a more in - depth collaborative innovation model in the future from simply introducing and localizing production in the past few decades. As China has become the pioneer market in the wave of automotive intelligence, for foreign brands, this is no longer just a high - growth market, but also the key to determining whether they can keep up with the changes of the times.
As the earliest joint - venture luxury - car brand in China, FAW - Audi has taken the lead in entering a new stage of high - quality joint - venture cooperation. It deeply integrates "German quality manufacturing" with "Chinese intelligent manufacturing" of local advantageous technologies. The release of these five models is not just a product update, but also a systematic upgrade of FAW - Audi's joint - venture model, brand logic, and market strategy.
The strategic thinking behind this is obviously more far - sighted: FAW - Audi has seen the diversified nature of consumer demand in the Chinese market and also realized that the future technological route of luxury cars cannot be single and certain. From the era of traditional fuel vehicles in the past to the current era of parallel development of new - energy trends, the technological development and user demand in the automotive industry have never been so complex. FAW - Audi's "dual - platform strategy" does not blur the choice of new - energy vehicles, but actively expands the brand's future technological reserves and ability boundaries.
This time, FAW - Audi has joined hands with domestic leading suppliers and partners, including Huawei, to further deepen collaborative innovation. By leveraging the respective advantages of the Chinese and German sides, it has launched innovative products that meet the needs of local consumers and are leading in the international market, opening a new chapter in Audi's development in China with a positive cycle of mutual promotion.
With a user base of over 9 million, a dealer network of nearly 600, and 8 production bases - behind these numbers is the systematic potential that Audi has accumulated in the Chinese market over 37 years. Over the years, FAW - Audi has always adhered to long - termism, not missing any technological revolution and not making hasty and frequent decisions. Facing the major changes in the automotive industry in the past century, FAW - Audi has both actions and determination. While actively integrating new technologies such as Huawei's Qiankun, it also continues to firmly pursue diversified development, adhere to the simultaneous development of fuel and electric vehicles and equal intelligence for fuel and electric vehicles, so that technological innovation can benefit more users.
At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, five new models of the FAW - Audi PPC luxury fuel platform and the PPE luxury pure - electric platform were launched simultaneously. Meanwhile, this year will also be a crucial year for FAW - Audi to exceed 10 million cumulative sales in China, making it the first luxury - car brand in China to achieve this feat.
As a new milestone appears in the development history of the Chinese luxury - car market, FAW - Audi is using its profound technological foundation and inclusive ambition to solve the anxiety of the times and the dilemma of technological choice.